How to Write Attention-Grabbing Headlines

When writing a sales letter or a print ad, your first step is to grab the readers attention. You do that by writing a killer headline. The purpose of the headline is to capture the attention of prospective buyers that want your product or service. This is the first step in persuading the reader to buy.

The mistake that many businesses make is that they think by simply putting an ad in the paper or having a radio or television commercial produced, that people will automatically call ready to buy. Not necessarily.

What you have to realize is that people only care about themselves. They don't care about what you are selling. They only care about what you can do for them. If your headline is boring or irrelevant, the ad will not attract your prospect. If it offers news or helpful information or promises a reward for reading the ad, then your ad will win the readers attention.

What your headline should do is:

Get attention

Select your audience

Deliver a message

Draw the reader into the body copy

Before creating a headline, find your unique selling proposition. In other words, what makes your product or service stand above your competition. Is it Price? Service? Quality? or Selection?

Next list all the features of your product or service. For example,if you have a cleaning service what type of cleaning do you do? Residential or Commercial? Or Both? Many times you will find out that your major feature or benefit will become your headline.

Remember, the customer always wants to know what your product or service will do for them. So your headline must always speak to your customers interests.

There are certain words that grab attention more than others. The two words that pull the most response are FREE and YOU. If you can use these two words in your headlines your ad is guaranteed to capture your readers interest. For example, a
sales letter I wrote for a cleaning service read:

WE'LL GIVE YOU FREE OFFICE CLEANING FOR ONE MONTH!

The word FREE automatically grabs the readers attention because everyone likes to get something for free, and the word YOU obviously indicates you are talking directly with the reader.

The other most powerful headline words are HOW TO. If you can begin a headline with How To, you can't write a bad headline. "How to" headlines promise solid information, sound advice and solutions to problems: "How to find or raise capital for a small business." "How to make more sales." "How to live longer." "How to find the perfect mate." You've probably seen many books written with the words "How to" in the title, including this article.

When you're creating a headline, make sure your headline ties in to what you are selling. Don't try to grab the readers attention with cute headlines. Make sure your headline offers your reader a benefit and then deliver it in the body of the copy.

The headline must motivate the prospect to read the ad. Because if the reader doesn't respond to your headline they won't read your ad, and if your ad isn't read you won't make the sale.

If you can use any of the sample words that I've listed above and tie it to your
product or service then you can't go wrong.

When you're creating a headline, make sure your headline ties in to what you are selling. Don't try to grab the readers attention with cute headlines. Make sure your headline offers your reader a benefit and then deliver it in the body of the copy.

The headline must motivate the prospect to read the ad. Because if the reader doesn't respond to your headline they won't read your ad, and if your ad isn't read you won't make the sale.

If you can use any of the sample words that I've listed above and tie it to your product or service then you can't go wrong.

Copyright Keith Smiley
About the author: I'm the program director/coordinator of a radio station. I also write advertising copy and Public Service Announcements for the station.